Collage: Bell & Sebastian

Belle and Sebastian is a band from Glasgow. Led by guitarist/vocalist Stuart Murdoch, the seven-piece band has an intimate, majestic sound that is equal parts folk-rock and ‘60s pop. Murdoch has a gift not only for whimsy and surrealism, but also for odd, unsettling lyrical detail which keeps the songs grounded in a tangible reality.

Based in Glasgow, Scotland, Belle and Sebastian released their first two albums in 1996: Tigermilk, recorded over three days, and If You’re Feeling Sinister, recorded in a week, at the peak of the chamber pop movement. At first, some critics in Britain’s music weeklies tied the band into the subgenre, yet the group was too pretty, too delicate, to bear that label. 

Through their first two years of public existence, the band shielded their personalities, submitting publicity photos featuring a girl, who was a friend of the band and reluctantly posing for photo shoots. Furthermore, they performed in odd venues, playing not only the standard coffeehouses and cafes, but also homes, church halls, and libraries.

"Marx and Engels" one of my favorites is a lithe piano-led pretty-gem, the kind that made this U.K. collective cult-famous.

It's yet three more minutes of pure bliss, punctuated by a sumptuous turn on the ivories at the close. You'll never see this on an LP, but that just makes it more of must purchase

Belle & Sebastian quietly built a dedicated following after the release of their second album, If You're Feeling Sinister, as word of mouth spread from indie kids to record collectors to store clerks to critics. By the end of 1997, the Scottish septet had developed a passionate following .

If You're Feeling Sinister proved this as did the three excellent EPs that followed, increasing expectations for The Boy With the Arab Strap.

Even if the album doesn't match the peerless If You're Feeling Sinister or break new ground for Belle & Sebastian, it's not a sophomore slump. From the Motown stomp of "Dirty Dream Number Two" to the Paul Simon shuffle of the title track, there is more musical texture on Boy than Sinister, but much of this was already explored on the EPs, which means Arab Strap essentially consolidates the group's talents.

The band works together to always create music iconic to its time. With songs like Piazza, New York Catcher, Dear Catastrophe Waitress, You’re Covers Blown and Mead & Potatoes there is something for everyone. I hope that you enjoy them as much as I have!

DOWNLOAD:

http://rapidshare.com/files/322385909/Belle_Sebastian.rar

Radiohead – OK Computer (1997)

Reminiscing on Radiohead I decided to listen to what I consider one of their best albums. Using the textured sounds capes of The Bends as a launching pad, Radiohead delivered another startlingly accomplished set of modern guitar rock with OK Computer. The authentic guitar heroics present on Pablo Honey and even The Bends are nowhere to be heard here.

Radiohead has stripped away many of the obvious elements of guitar rock, creating music that is subtle and textured yet still has the feeling of rock & roll. Even at its most adventurous -- such as the complex, multi-segmented "Paranoid Android" --

the band is tight, melodic, and muscular, and Thom Yorke's voice effortlessly shifts from a sweet falsetto to vicious snarls. It's a thoroughly astonishing demonstration of musical virtuosity and becomes even more impressive with repeated listens, which reveal subtleties like electronica rhythms, eerie keyboards, odd time signatures, and complex syncopations.

Yet, all of this would simply be showmanship if the songs weren't strong in themselves, and OK Computer is filled with moody masterpieces, from the shimmering "Subterranean Homesick Alien" and the sighing "Karma Police"

to the gothic crawl of "Exit Music (For a Film)." OK Computer is the album that establishes Radiohead as one of the most inventive and rewarding guitar rock bands of the '90s.

DOWNLOAD:
http://rapidshare.com/files/287161166/OK_Computer.rar

AIR – Pocket Symphony (2007)

 

The French duo's fourth album, Pocket Symphony, is another creative masterpiece of unconventional style and sound.

More apt to cite stately rock paragons Burt Bacharach and Brian Wilson as their inspirations than Derrick May or Aphex Twin, the French duo Air gained inclusion into the late-'90s electronica surge due chiefly to the labels their recordings appeared on, not the actual music they produced. Their sound, a variant of the classic disco sound coaxed into a relaxing Prozac vision of the late '70s, looked back to a variety of phenomena from the period -- synthesizer maestros Tomita, Jean-Michel Jarre, and Vangelis, new wave music of the nonspiky variety, and obscure Italian film soundtracks. Despite gaining quick entrance into the dance community (through releases for Source and Mo' Wax), Air's 1998 debut album, Moon Safari, charted a light……..

…..well, airy, course along soundscapes composed with melody lines by Moog and Rhodes, not Roland and Yamaha. The presence of several female vocalists, an equipment list whose number of pieces stretched into the dozens, and a baroque tuba solo on one track -- all of this conspired to make Air more of a happening in the living room than the dancefloor.

Ever since Moon Safari was hailed as an instant classic, Air have swung back and forth between the experimental and accessible sides.

On Pocket Symphony, Dunckel and Godin find a balance between pretty and inventive that they haven't struck since, well, Moon Safari, even though it isn't nearly as immediate -- even by Air's standards, this is an extremely introspective and atmospheric album. It's beyond clichéd to call the duo's music filmic; nevertheless, "Space Maker",

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and "Night Sight"

play like the album's opening titles and ending credits, bracketing a set of songs that are sadder and wiser than anything Air has done since The Virgin Suicides (particularly "Lost Message," which could have easily appeared on that soundtrack).

These songs are often unsettling, but gently so, like dreams that are still vivid but hard to explain upon waking.

Pocket Symphony pairs Air with producer Nigel Godrich, which is an inspired choice -- not just because Godrich has a similarly atmospheric touch and adds lots of fascinating sonic details, but because he helps Air keep the album intimate, not polished into a state of distant perfection. "Left Bank," which blends humming with a cello and captures Godin's acoustic guitar so clearly it sounds like he's strumming it behind you, is a gorgeous example  of how well this collaboration works. The Japanese influence on Talkie Walkie and Air's music for Lost in Translation is deepened on Pocket Symphony, with shamisen and koto (which Godin spent a year learning to play) adding to its ethereal beauty, particularly on "Mer du Japon." Musically and thematically, this is some of Air's most elegant, mature music; it does what it does so compellingly that any attempts to be "poppy" would miss the point.

Download here:

http://rapidshare.com/files/163075042/A1r.P0ck3t.Symph0ny.rar

MGMT "Time to Pretend"

Psychedelic pop rarely seems to live in the real world, and that’s often part of its appeal. But “Time to Pretend” seems determined to turn this notion on its head, with cynical lyrics such as “Let’s make some music, make some money, find some models for wives” set to a soundtrack of steady drum beats, synths, and trippy vocals. MGMT is touring with Of Montreal, and of course will be opening for them when they come to Oberlin. They’re based out of Brooklyn, and I think this could be the beginning of the end of my Canadian obsession…but we’ll see. I'm having a hard time pinning down when their debut album, Oracular Spectacular, can be bought / will be released (supposedly this month?), but I'm working on it. (Update: it was released on October 2nd, and you can get it on iTunes.)

What else can we do?
get jobs in offices
and wake up for the morning commute.
Forget about our mothers and our friends,
We’re fated to pretend.

Sample: http://kate.oberlist.com/MGMT%20-%20Time%20to%20Pretend.mp3

Ben Folds – Songs For Silverland (2005)

Well I'm sure some of you have heard Ben Folds before, and hell you've probably even heard this album. Well that's great, and I'm there with you, he's a great artist, so I'm posting this album for those of you who are thinking "Ben who?".

This remains to this day my favorite of all Folds' releases, and it turned out to be the first record of his I listened to. It was actually my brother who bought this CD back in '05, and at the time I liked it but thought of it as an Elton John rip-off. And while there is significant musical similarities, Folds is very much his own artist. Besides being compared to Elton John is not one of the worst things that can happen!

"Songs For Silverman" is a return to form of sorts, coming on the tail of the relentlessly overproduced "Rockin' The Suburbs", and 3 EP's which were almost total misses. Musically, Silverman is his best effort since Messner, reverting back to the Ben Folds Five trio format with new bassist Jared Reynolds and drummer Lindsay Jamieson --- who also happen to sound a whole lot like Darren Jesse and Robert Sledge. While the new three-part harmonies aren’t quite as rich as the Five’s, at least they exist, and the new band's instrumentation is notably smoother and more fluid.

I know many people are reluctant to accept the new form of Ben Folds without it being followed by the Five. And while the Ben Folds Five were exceptional, and yes they did release some amazing records, one has to accept an artist for following their muse. At the time of this album he'd started to mature, what with the wife and kid, etc. and that shows in the songs content. "Gracie" for example is a heartfelt ode to his daughter.. Nothing wrong with that at all, but I know you can't always please everyone, and I'm sure the BF Five snobs spat on this album for a long while.
So if you've never heard Ben Folds' work I'd recommend checking this out immediately. I don't think you can find a better entry point into his music than this album, and from here your free to look backward into his catalog, as there is a lot of fantastic work there too.

The best part of this entire download is the "vinyl only" exclusive cut, Track 12 "Bitches Ain't Shit". That's right, Ben Folds of all people covering a classic track off of Dr. Dre's "The Chronic". It's more humorous than anything, but what's most amazing is that he actually does a great job performing the song.
It's just amazing to hear Ben sing lyrics like:

"Bitches ain't shit but hoes and tricks, Lick on deez nutz and suck the dick, Get's the fuck out after you're done, And I hops in my ride to make a quick run..."

01. Bastard (5:23)
02. You To Thank (3:36)
03. Jesusland (4:31)
04. Landed (4:29)
05. Gracie (2:40)
06. Trusted (4:09)
07. Give Judy My Notice (3:37)
08. Late (3:58)
09. Sentimental Guy (3:04)
10. Time (4:30)
11. Prison Food (4:15)
12. Bitches Ain't Shit (3:55) *vinyl exclusive track.

 

Download "Songs For Silverman" (2005) @ Sharebee

Röyksopp - Melody A.M [2001]

In case any of you guys don't watch TV here is a treat.

Lets backtrack to 2006. GEICO was comming out with its catchy new star, The Caveman, well listen to this commercial titled "At The Air Port":


You are listening to Remind Me by Röyksopp released as their fourth single.

Melody A.M. is the debut album of Norwegian duo Röyksopp. Songs from this album have been used in television adverts and computer games"Eple" was licensed by Apple and used as the introduction music for the Mac OS X v10.3 Setup Assistant A remix of "Poor Leno" was featured in the SSX 3 soundtrack.

So if your interested listen and if you like it buy it.

For testing purposes the following link will take you to it.

Enjoy

Shinichi Maruyama

Shinichi Maruyama started his professional career in Tokyo in 1993, 10 years later relocating his studio to New York City in search of more global opportunities. Specializing in splashing and energetic movements within shots Maruyama has become highly sought after for his expertise in this field expanding his career into Europe in 2005.

Shinichi Maruyama was born in 1968 in Nagano, Japan. Surrounded by beautiful mountains, in High School he became immersed in mountain climbing, and wanting to preserve the stunning landscapes began taking photographs.

Upon graduating college he joined Ima Co. assisting their 15 still life photographers where he discovered the many different professional facets of creating an image. In 1993, working with an 8x10 camera Maruyama became independent winning the ’99 Japan Magazine Advertisement Prize planning-advertisement section award.

He began taking photos for his personal project “Into the Spiti Valley”, a documentary work about Tibetan culture in India, the exhibition later opened in 2001 along with the publication of two books “Into The Spiti Valley” and “Spiti” In 1998, he joined Hakuhodo Photo Creative and became involved in advertising campaigns for Japanese companies winning the New York ADC Gold Award for an advertising campaign for a satellite broadcasting company.

In 1999 realizing the possibilities of digital photography and Photoshop Maruyama began creating his work using digital cameras. Maruyama has been involved in many worldwide advertising campaigns utilizing his expertise in ice, liquid/splash, and specializing in movement in his works. Years of lighting research and the advances in retouching have made it easy to have a strong idea of exactly how a photo will look even before the shoot begins, but in photographing liquid and subjects in movement, it is impossible to foresee what the end result will be, and it is this spontaneity that enables Maruyama to have more fun creating his work.


While Maruyama enjoys the excitement of collaborating with creators from around the world, one thing is always on his mind, that feeling he had back in high school, when he was photographing whatever he wanted to...he is now working on his personal projects and aims to have an exhibition of this work.

Zero 7 - Simple Things [2001]

Country: UK

Genre: Downtempo, Future Jazz, Trip Hop

It's a soulful mix of soul, jazz and electro. The vocals are great (although personally I'm not particularly fond of Sia Furler at certain moments) and the arrangements are right on the money for this type of "retro-techno" sound. I sometimes get confused if it's a smooth jazz combo trying to be electronic or an electronic group trying to be smooth jazz. In The Waiting Line and I Have Seen are the best ones I suggest you begin with those.

Song List :

1 I Have Seen (5:07) Vocals - Mozez

2 Polaris (4:48)
3 Destiny (5:37) Vocals - Sia Furler* , Sophie Barker
4 Give It Away (5:17)
5 Simple Things (4:24) Vocals - Mozez
6 Red Dust (5:40)
7 Distractions (5:16) Vocals - Sia Furler*
8 In The Waiting Line (4:32) Vocals - Sophie Barker
9 Out Of Town (4:47)
10 This World (5:35) Vocals - Mozez
11 Likufanele (6:11)
12 End Theme (3:39)
13 Salt Water Sound (5:30)
14 Spinning (6:03) Vocals - Sophie Barker
Download

Collapse Under The Empire - Systembreakdown

[2009] Systembreakdown

Country: Germany
Genre: Post-Rock/Instrumental

Collapse Under The Empire is an instrumental/post-rock band from Hamburg/Germany. They formed 2007 and released their debut album „Systembreakdown“ (2009) on their own.

Most of the songs are alternating between electro-bleeps and powerful guitar explosions combining epic guitars with chilled electronic elements. In one year’s time they have self-released their debut LP “Systembreakdown”, using pianos and synths with guitar-battering crescendos. “Systembreakdown” may only be about 40 minutes long with no nine-minute epic, but it packs a lot of beauty and emotion.Nevertheless Collapse Under The Empire stick to their own style and do not want to emerge as a knock-off. With their mixture of instrumental post-rock they are trying to make a cut above the uniform pulp and put their own stamp on it.

Official Website
MySpace
Last.fm

Tracklist:
01 Monumental Sequence
02 Sky Falling
03 Innocence
04 The Taste Of Last Summer
05 Quiet Dimension
06 Environmental Obsession
07 Turn
08 Depending On You
09 Further Than The End Of The World
10 Buried In Pieces


http://www.mediafire.com/?md5ciitw5ol

http://rapidshare.com/files/207525992/Collapse_Under_The_Empire_-_Package__192kBit_.rar